"Are we prepared to promote conditions in which the living contact with God can be reestablished? For our lives today have become godless to the point of complete vacuity. God is no longer with us in the conscious sense of the word. He is denied, ignored, excluded from every claim to have a part in our daily life." - Alfred Delp, S.J.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Amy Winehouse spirituality

Our Lady of the Forsaken,

patroness of the insane, abandoned,

avoided and excluded and despised,

the no good,

pray for us!

Yesterday's Gospel helped me realize something.

It's an old guy's Gospel. Not some young guy coming to his senses and going back to the sacraments - like I thought I was the prodigal son returning. No. No. No.

Because I kept falling back. I squandered my whole life ... I'm not going to make a public penance here - but believe me - I squandered just about every grace I was ever given. And ... I am brought to nothing. I went to confession with that.

Now my prayer really is the sinners prayer ...

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told ya I was troubled

You know that I'm no good ...

That's what I mean by Amy Winehouse spirituality, or prayer.

So, in prayer we need to be honest and straight with our Lord. We need to tell him about our temptations and sins and fears. Who or what I like and don't want to give up - and I need to talk to him about it. Prayer has to be real. Say - 'look at me, Lord!' 'Have mercy on me a sinner!' 'I told you I was troubled, you know I'm no good.' St. Philip Neri used to pray, 'Lord, you can't trust Philip.' It's the same thing ...

We, I need to ask him to help me at every step, and to supply for what I can't do on my own.

"Lord - what am I supposed to do? How?" This kind of prayer, before the rosary or the hours, lets him know we don't want to be rigid and isolated, that we finally acknowledge how powerless we are. In effect, we give up all our lies and affectations, confessing our failure to will or accomplish. We need to surrender, and ask him to make us holy the way he wants us to be holy - not a carbon copy of this or that model of holiness. Without decorous pretending. No dressing up and pretending.

Repeat as necessary. After every fall. After every betrayal.

Know what I'm saying? It's my Amy Winehouse approach 'you know I'm no good'. I can't be trusted. I have no merits of my own. I can't do anything by myself. I need Jesus and his merits - transmitted through the sacraments. Know what I'm trying to say?

Veritatis Splendor

About Me

... My idea of what I am is falsified by my preoccupation about what I do. And my illusions about myself are bred by contagion from the illusions of other men. We all seek to emulate one anothers imagined greatness....If I do not know who I am, it is because I think I am the sort of person everyone around me wants me to be. I have asked myself whether I wanted to become what everybody else seems to want to become... only to realize that I do not admire what everyone else seems to admire. I have only thus begun to live after all... But it is very late. - Adapted from a quote by Thomas Merton

Holy Face of Jesus

Show us your face and we shall be saved. "Each soul is the object of My special love. That is why I am so grateful to those who are resourceful and bringing back sinners to Me. Keep this in mind then. I gave My life for them in the most atrocious torture, for these poor beloved ones. A humble repentance, and they are already on My heart. So speak gently to them. Speak with tenderness. A brusque remark could drive them farther away." - He and I

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Disclaimer

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